Member-only story
The Inherent Logical Flaw in Economic Moralizing
Air-conditioning…good or evil? Discuss.
Moral Invention/ Immoral Invention
Let’s conduct a little thought experiment. We’ll use the Socratic method and start with simple questions:
Is air-conditioning good or evil?
Moral or immoral? Has the advent of air-conditioning been to the benefit of humanity, or to its detriment?
After all, air-conditioning has likely saved many millions of lives, maybe billions. The heat during hotter months on Earth have killed scores of humans since the dawn of time; still does as a matter of fact. People without air-conditioning die in heat waves every year.
Air-conditioning is also refrigeration, which has undoubtably saved countless more lives. Lives that might have been lost to food poisoning from improperly stored food, lives that might have been lost due to starvation as even the most bountiful harvest fell prey to eventual spoilage.
Yet, air-conditioning- and the CFCs that were the environmental boogie man 20-years ago when it was the hole in the ozone layer, rather than climate change, they said would kill us all- is a major carbon emitter.
Air-conditioning, and the fossil fuels needed to produce it, is probably better for…